Four of the world’s largest container lines are joining forces to establish standards that can be used across the industry. The aim is to develop a blueprint for developing new services.

Container line standards body formed after finally receiving regulatory clearance from the FMC that will allow it to provide a common language for developers

FOUR container lines have come together to formally launch the Digital Container Shipping Association.

The association, which will be based in the Netherlands, has been established by Maersk, Hapag-Lloyd, Mediterranean Shipping Co and Ocean Network Express with the intention of setting standards for the digitalisation of container shipping.

It received regulatory approval from the Federal Maritime Commission last month and was officially formed in Amsterdam on April 12.

“For the first time in 20 years, the container shipping industry has come together with a common goal to move the industry into the digital era,” said MSC chief information officer Andre Simha, who will chair the DCSA’s supervisory board. “With the regulatory approval in place, we look forward for the association to take up work and to begin to collaborate with multiple stakeholders from the entire value chain.”

Thomas Bagge will join from Maersk to act as chief executive and statutory director of the association.

The DCSA said it would immediately begin work on driving standardisation, digitalisation and interoperability. The work undertaken by the association will be openly published and freely available to external parties.

The neutral and non-profit association will be open to all ocean carriers who wish to join, and it expects to have close cooperation with the entire industry.

But the DCSA will only work on standards and has no intention of developing or operating any digital platform of its own. Instead, it wants to focus on standards to overcome the lack of a common foundation for technical interfaces and data.

In an interview with Lloyd’s List, Mr Bagge said the DCSA would focus on building a blueprint for the industry to develop new services for container shipping and would focus on interoperability between competing systems for technologies such as block chain and the Internet of Things.